By Lungani Zungu
Durban’s shores should be a refuge for Durbanites and their visitors, writes Lungani Zungu, not a place to pump sewage.
Growing up in Umlazi in the late 1980s, December always brought festive moments. Going to the beach was irresistible during the heydays of Durban’s South Beach.
But this is no longer the case.
The beach – which was once the draw card for tourists – has dilapidated and been pumped full of sewage. The swimming pools are no longer operational. There seems nowhere for kids to swim.
When I saw the pictures of the sorry state of Durban’s South Beach – my heart immediately sank.
This is a place where I would boast about having gone to during the festive season when I visited my late sister in Protea Glen, south of Joburg, during my formative years.
There’s no beach in Gauteng, after all.
Back then it cost about R6 to go to town by minibus; now it is R25.
The elders – including my late mother, Sibongile – in my neighbourhood would hire a minibus and we would be asked to pay R10 for the return trip to the beach.
Even though the beach was about 34 km away from my home in Umlazi, we only went once during the festive season.
I remember vividly being left with a scar on my right cheek when I injured myself while swimming in a pool.
I was about 10 years old at the time.
But I was not deterred and I continued swimming with drops of blood on my cheek, as going to the beach was a once-in-a-year outing.
Making matters worse are the claims that are made by ActionSA’s provincial leader Zwakele Mncwango that the Durban beaches are infested by human faeces.
ANC eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has refuted this allegation by taking a plunge in the full glare of the media last week.
He assured people that it is safe to surf on Durban beaches..
Our plea as Durbanites to the city officials is: please return Durban’s beaches to their former glory.
Pictured above: Durban beach
Image source: Lungani Zungu
